Pogue (original) (raw)


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Pogue, William Reid


American test pilot astronaut 1966-1975.

Status: Deceased; Active 1966-1975. Born: 1930-01-23. Died: 2014-03-03. Spaceflights: 1 . Total time in space: 84.05 days. Birth Place: Okemah, Oklahoma.

Official NASA Biography as of June 2016: William Reid Pogue, Colonel, USAF (Ret.) NASA Astronaut (DECEASED)

PERSONAL DATA: Born January 23, 1930, in Okemah, Oklahoma. Died March 3, 2014. Married. Three children. He enjoyed running and playing paddleball and handball, and his hobbies included gardening and cabinet making.

EDUCATION: Attended primary and secondary schools in Oklahoma; received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1951 and a Master of Science Degree in Mathematics from Oklahoma State University in 1960; awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science degree from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1974.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the Air Force Association Explorers Club, American Astronautical Society, and Association of Space Explorers.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (1974) and JSC Superior Achievement Award (1970); winner of the Air Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and an Outstanding Unit Citation (while a member of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds); the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal and Command Pilot Astronaut Wings (1974); presented the City of Chicago Gold Medal (1974); the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 1973 (1974); the City of New York gold Medal (1974); the Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy for 1975 (1975); the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's De La Vaulx Medal and V. M. Komarov Diploma for 1974 (1975); the General Thomas D. White U.S. Air Force Space Trophy for 1974 (1975); Fellow of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Oklahoma State University (1975); AIAA Haley Astronautics Award for 1974 (1975); the American Astronautical Society's 1975 Flight Achievement Award (1976). Inductee 5 Civilized Tribes Hall of Fame (1975), and Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame (1980) Clarence E. Page Memorial Trophy - Oklahoma Aviation and Space Museum (1989). In October 1997, Colonel Pogue was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in Titusville, Florida.

EXPERIENCE: Colonel Pogue, came to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center from an assignment at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where he had been an instructor at the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School since October 1965.

He enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 and received his commission in 1952. While serving with the Fifth Air Force during the Korean conflict, from 1953 to 1954, he completed a combat tour in fighter bombers. From 1955 to 1957, he was a member of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Pogue retired from the U.S. Air Force in September 1975.

He gained proficiency in more than 50 types and models of American and British aircraft and was qualified as a civilian flight instructor. Pogue served in the mathematics department as an assistant professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from 1960 to 1963. In September 1965, he completed a two-year tour as test pilot with the British Ministry of Aviation under the U.S. Air Force/Royal Air Force Exchange Program after graduating from the Empire Test Pilot's School in Farnborough, England.

He logged 7,200 hours flight time - including 4,200 hours in jet aircraft and 2,017 hours in space flight.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Colonel Pogue was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the astronaut support crews for the Apollo 7, 11, and 14 missions.

Pogue was pilot of Skylab 4 (third and final manned visit to the Skylab orbital workshop), launched November 16, 1973, and concluded February 8, 1974. This was the longest manned flight (84 days, 1 hour and 15 minutes) in the history of manned space exploration to date. Pogue was accompanied on the record setting 34.5-million-mile flight by Gerald P. Carr (commander) and Dr. Edward G. Gibson (science-pilot). They successfully completed 56 experiments, 26 science demonstrations, 15 subsystem detailed objectives, and 13 student investigations during their 1,214 revolutions of the Earth. They also acquired extensive Earth resources observations data using Skylab's Earth resources experiment package camera and sensor array and logged 338 hours of operations of the Apollo Telescope Mount, which made extensive observations of the Sun's solar processes. He also logged 13 hours and 31 minutes in two spacewalks outside the orbital workshop.

After his NASA retirement, Pogue worked as a consultant to the aerospace industry, producer of general videos on space flight and authored several nonfiction and fiction books.

MARCH 2014

This is the only version available from NASA. Updates must be sought from the above named individual's family.

Official Biography

NAME: William R. Pogue

BIRTHDATE AND PLACE: Pogue was born January 23, 1930, in Okemah, Oklahoma.

EDUCATION: Pogue received a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1951 and a Master of Science in mathematics from Oklahoma State University in 1960.

EXPERIENCE: Pogue enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 and received an officer's commission a year later. From 1952 to 1954 he did a combat tour in Korea with the Fifth Air Force, flying fighter-bombers. From 1955 to 1957 he was a member of the USAF Thunderbirds precision flying team. He later was an assistant professor in the mathematics department at the Air Force Academy. From 1962 to 1965, following graduation from Britain's Empire Test Pilots' School, Pogue was a test pilot for the British Ministry of Aviation under a USAF/RAF exchange program. He was an instructor at the Air Force Research Pilot School when NASA selected him as an astronaut in April 1966.

Pogue was Command Module Pilot of Skylab 4 (third and final manned visit to the Skylab Orbital Workshop), launched November 16, 1973, and concluded February 8, 1974. This was the longest manned flight (84 days, 1 hour, 15 minutes) in the history of manned space exploration to date. He was accompanied on the record-setting 34.5-million-mile flight by Commander Gerald Carr and Dr. Edward G. Gibson (science pilot). The crew successfully completed 56 experiments, 26 science demonstrations, 15 subsystem detailed objectives, and 13 student investigations during their 1,214 revolutions of the earth. They also acquired extensive earth resources observations data using hand-held cameras and Skylab's Earth Resources Experiment Package camera and sensor array. They logged 338 hours of operation of the Apollo Telescope Mount which made extensive observations of the sun's solar processes. Pogue made two space walks during the mission, totaling 13 hours 31 minutes outside the lab. The crew returned with 780 kg of film, data and biological specimens after the record space flight.

Pogue retired from NASA, and from the Air Force, in 1975. He therafter was president of Vutara Services.



More at: Pogue.


Family: Astronaut. Country: USA. Spacecraft: Skylab. Flights: Apollo 14, Skylab 4, Apollo 19. Projects: Apollo. Agency: USAF. Bibliography: 5895.



1930 January 23 - .


1966 April 4 - .


1971 January 31 - . 21:03 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: LUT2. Launch Vehicle: Saturn V.


1973 November 16 - . 14:01 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: LUT1. LV Family: Saturn I. Launch Vehicle: Saturn IB.


1973 November 23 - . 17:42 GMT - .


1973 December - .


1973 December 25 - . 16:00 GMT - .


1974 February 8 - . 15:16 GMT - .


2014 March 3 - .



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